Using To Build a Fire

1
Detecting, Using Context Clues

• Using To Build a Fire
• by Jack London
• Communication Arts
• Seventh Grade

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Teacher Page

• Content Communication Arts
• Grade Level Seventh
• Creator Yvonne Bradley
• Objective Identifying and determining the
  meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues.

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Steps to determine meaning

• Read the sentences before and after the word.
• See if there are any synonyms in the sentence to
  help clarify word meaning. If the word is
  followed by a comma with a few words and another
  comma that might be an appositive which is the
  author giving the meaning of the word in
  different words.
• Find any descriptive words that help you
  determine what it is (color, size, action, etc.)
• Determine if the word is used as an action or
  thing.
• Use a word you think is a synonym of it in its
  place, does it still make sense?

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Lets Practice!

• Look at the following sentence and tell what you
  think the italicized word means (write it down)
• It was all pure white, rolling in gentle
  undulations where the ice jams of the freeze-up
  had formed.
• What word(s) give you the clues?
• rolling, gentle
• How close did you come to the definition? A
  wavy form, outline or appearance- American
  Heritage Student Dictionary

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Practice 2

• Look at the following sentence and tell what you
  think the italicized word means (write it down)
• It was a clear day, and yet there seemed an
  intangible pall over the face of things, a subtle
  gloom that made the day dark and that was due to
  the absence of sun.
• What word(s) give you the clues?
• Clear day, yet, subtle gloom
• How close did you come to the definition?
  Incapable of being defined, vague, ellusive.-
  American Heritage Student Dictionary

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Practice 3

• Look at the following sentence and tell what you
  think the italicized word means (write it down)
• It had been days since he had seen the sun, and
  he knew that a few more days must pass before
  that cheerful orb, due south, would just peep
  above the skyline and dip immediately from view.
• What word(s) give you the clues?
• sun, peep above the skyline
• How close did you come to the definition? A
  sphere or spherical object.- American Heritage
  Student Dictionary

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Now, on your own!

• Find three unfamiliar words in the story. Write
  down the word, what definition you would
  determine it has based on the context, and those
  words that gave you the clue.
• Remember, sometimes the clues may come in the
  sentences before or after the word!